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Saturday News: Out of control

Submitted by BlueNC on Sat, 05/11/2019 - 08:35

RALEIGH OFFICERS SAY K-9 ATTACK WAS NOT CALLED FOR: Three Raleigh police officers said Friday that they didn't view a delirious man in the street last year as a threat before a Wake County deputy showed up and unleashed a police dog on the man to take him down. Deputy Cameron Broadwell, who commanded the K-9 to go after Kyron Hinton during the April 3, 2018, encounter, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, assault inflicting serious injury and willfully failing to discharge duties in connection with the incident. Broadwell is accused of hitting Hinton in the head several times, while former Highway Patrol Trooper Michael Blake is also accused of striking Hinton and of ordering former Trooper Tabithia Davis to hit Hinton with her flashlight. Blake and Davis were fired last June and face charges of felony assault and willfully failing to discharge duties.https://www.wral.com/raleigh-officers-man-didnt-pose-threat-before-wake-deputy-unleashed-k-9/18378623/

BOARD OF ELECTIONS TO REPLACE KIM STRACH AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: North Carolina may soon be looking for someone new to be in charge of elections. The current executive director of the N.C. Board of Elections is Kim Strach, who rose to that position after starting at the agency as an investigator. But on Friday morning, the board announced a meeting Monday at which it plans to discuss the appointment of an executive director. That would seem to indicate that Strach is on her way out, although Pat Gannon, the board spokesman declined to comment Friday, except to say that board members would be available to answer questions on Monday after the meeting. WRAL reported that Strach is being booted by the board’s new Democratic majority.https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article230258599.html

SUPREME COURT NO RELIEF FOR GREG BRANNON ON LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT: A majority of the justices hearing the case rejected arguments from attorneys for Greg Brannon, a favorite of tea party Republicans who finished second in the 2014 and 2016 Senate primaries. His 2016 House bid also fell short. During a 2014 trial completed just before his primary loss to Thom Tillis, the Cary OB-GYN was ordered to pay $250,000 to the investors in Neogence Enterprises, of which he was a board member, along with another $132,000 in attorney fees and court costs. The lawsuit alleged the plaintiffs had been given misleading information in 2010 that Verizon was interested in preinstalling its application on company smartphones, when in fact Verizon never said that. The Verizon deal was actually a potential deal with an advertising firm that never occurred, according to court documents.https://www.wral.com/nc-supreme-court-upholds-civil-judgment-against-brannon/18378401/

CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WANT INVESTIGATION OF TRUMP ADMIN IMMIGRATION BACKLOG: More than 80 Democratic members of Congress have asked the Government Accountability Office to conduct an investigation into the “record-breaking” backlog of immigration cases pending under the Trump administration. The lawmakers specifically criticized U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying they are “alarmed” that the agency “is adjudicating cases at an increasingly slow pace compared to previous years.” President Trump and his advisers have called for a “merit-based” immigration system that would make paths to U.S. residency and citizenship contingent on specific skill sets. Immigration attorneys, advocates and Democratic lawmakers say the administration has intentionally slowed the process through which it grants citizenship and other immigration benefits, creating a massive backlog. The USCIS net backlog — which includes all immigration case applications, ranging from pending green cards to immigrant work visas — exceeded 2.3 million cases by last fall, a recent analysis by the American Immigration Lawyers Association found.https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/democrats-ask-federal-watchdog-to-examine-unprecedented-i...

FARMERS GROWING FRUSTRATED WITH TRUMP'S TRADE WARS: The breakdown was another blow for American farmers, who just a few weeks ago thought a trade deal was imminent. They now begin another growing season with uncertainty about who will buy their crops and whether they can break even. Though Mr. Trump pledged Friday to help farmers — part of the coalition that put him in office — there were signs of frustration. They raised questions about his negotiating tactics. They said they were worried about what would come next given an already-struggling agricultural economy. “Many people are just torn because people want to support the president of the United States,” said Nancy Johnson, the executive director of the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association. “But it’s very stressful to be in the middle of these very challenging negotiations. Because you’re the person who can’t take hope to the banker to get his loans for operating.”https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/us/trump-china-trade-talks-farmers.html?action=click&module=Top%2...

Of course I usually do, but I've noticed some other issues where Kim did an exceptional job. Back when McCrory was Governor and county election boards were trying to stifle early voting, she sent out a directive for them to pay close attention to their voting populations and make sure they open enough early voting sites to keep election day from being a clusterfuck (my word, not hers). She knew the state GOP was leaning on some of them to close or move certain sites, and she wanted to let them know she was watching.

Also, I sent her an e-mail after all the flooding, because I was worried that displaced minority voters wouldn't be able to access voting sites. She sent me a very thoughtful response, even though I know she was way too busy to bother with that.

I don't know what's behind this change, but I agree with Jerry. Whoever takes her place better be damn good, or voting will suffer.

She really was exceptional. It's more than a little heartbreaking that one can perform as she has, earn the admiration and appreciation she has from both Democrats and Republicans, receive the acknowledgments that she has for fairness and nonpartisanship, and still see that the bottom line is always still just plain politics. It would have been heartening to have our governor demonstrate that nonpartisanship is *exactly* what is wanted in the executive director of the State Board of Elections. I don't know the newly named director, but have heard good things about her and wish her well. But the decision to revert back to the same old same old way of politics is disappointing, to say the least.

Of course it is, but throughout her tenure she repeatedly demonstrated that that prejudice was not justified. That's what is baffling, that people ignore her record and insist upon propping up the prejudice that she already debunked.

The Rs in the NCGA explicitly tried to protect her. That alone would attract attention.
Her predecessor was dumped without cause and no one said a word. I believe that is the nature of the position.
BUT I still think that without her spouse and the NCGA, she might have been left in the role.

NC voices

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